Vatican analyst: Catholics have more fun

Recent visits to Houston’s University of St. Thomas and other Catholic colleges reminded a Vatican expert of a little-talked about religious truth: Catholics have a hell of a sense of humor.

When asked what the Catholic Church does best but goes unnoticed, the National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen said:

Fundamentally, I don’t think the Catholic church gets enough credit for being a hell of a lot of fun.

There’s great warmth and laughter in most Catholic circles, a rich intellectual tradition, a vast body of lore, an incredible range of characters, a deep desire to do good, an abiding faith against all odds, an ability to go anywhere and feel instantly at home, and even a deep love of good food, good drink, and good company.

All that is part of the tapestry of Catholic life, but it rarely sees the light of day in commentary and reporting that focuses exclusively on crisis, scandal, and heartache.

While in Houston earlier this month, Allen delivered a lecture on retired Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza, which included its own funny anecdote.

“He said he recently turned down an invitation to an event, and, pressed to explain why he couldn’t go, realized that he no longer had to come up with a plausible excuse so his absence wouldn’t reflect badly on the church or the archdiocese,” Allen wrote for NCR. “Instead, he said, he could simply tell the truth: ‘I’d rather watch Notre Dame play football on TV!’”

Last week, USA Today put a spotlight on Muslim, Jewish and Christian funnymen, including Jesuit priest Rev. James Martin, who appears regularly on The Colbert Report.

Here’s Martin during his most recent appearance, playing along with fellow Catholic Stephen Colbert during discussion on judging God and even used a curse word.